Women{40 s garments

ABSTRACT

A body garment for women covers at least the hip region of the wearer and is formed of multidirection stretch material. The garment has leg openings and a crotch portion which is provided with a front-to-back elongated opening or slit which has the capability of expanding automatically to a relatively large open configuration when the wearer assumes a sitting position and which closes substantially and automatically when the wearer is standing or walking. The garment finds particular utility as a woman&#39;&#39;s convenience garment and as apparel for children.

United States Patent [191 Herbener I WOMEN'S GARMENTS [76] Inventor: Henry M. Herbener, 803 N.

Dawson, Thomasville, Ga. 31792 Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Jan. 23, 1990, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Aug. 13, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 387,792

[52] US. Cl 128/524, 128/529, 2/224 A [51] Int. Cl. A4lc 1/00 [58] Field of Search 128/524, 526, 528, 529,

128/530, 431, 519, 518, I68, 79, 99,159, 224, 226; 2/224, 226, 78 R, 78 A, 78 C, 78 D, 78 B, 238, 67, 241, 71

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,477,353 7/1949 Strait 128/529 2,875,763 3/1959 Marchisella 128/529 x 3,023,419 3/1962 -Strahle 2/67 x 1*July 16, 1974 3,040,751 6/1962 Mastenbrook 128/529 3,224,448 l2/l965 Diebold 128/529 3,712,308 l/l973 Herbener l28/5l9 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 658,320 10/1951 Great Britain 128/524 Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-B. P. Fishburne, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A body garment for women covers at least the hip region of the wearer and is formed of multidirection stretch material. The garment has leg openings and a crotch portion which is provided with a front-to-back elongated opening or slit which has the capability of expanding automatically to a relatively large open configuration when the wearer assumes a sitting position and which closes substantially and automatically whenthe wearer is standing or walking. The garment finds particular utility as a womans convenience garment and as apparel for children.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures WOMEN'S GARMENTS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application contains subject matter in common with prior applications Ser. No. 19,204, now US. Pat. No. 3,712,308, and Ser. No. 284,719, filed Aug. 30, 1972 now US. Pat. No. 3,777,764, for GARMENTS FOR WOMEN, Henry M. Herbener, inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The rapidly increasing use of one-piece body garments primarily by women including body suits, body stockings and panty hose has created a convenience problem in terms of the necessity for complete disrobing prior to using toilet facilities. The prior art evidenced by US. Pat. Nos. 2,477,353; 3,023,419; 3,040,751 and other patents shows garments which possess convenience openings in the crotch region, but such prior art devices fall considerably short of possessing the advantages present in this invention for solving the convenience problem.

In the prior art, the garments in question have crotch opening means which require some form of mechanical fastener as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,419 or an opening means with overlapping flaps or interfitting fabric portions requiring positive manipulation by the hands of the user for opening as in US. Pat. Nos. 2,477,353 or 3,040,751. Neither of these prior art schemes provides a satisfactory answer to the problem which is completely solved in the simplest possible manner by the present invention.

More particularly, the present invention provides in a one-piece stretch type body garment a simplified, readily stretchable crotch opening which expands automatically to a wide openconfiguration in one position of the wearer, sitting, and in other positions contracts automatically to a relatively closed configuration whereby the garment will then possess a crotch covering area as when the wearer is standing. The crotch opening possesses no mechanical fasteners, flaps or any parts whatsoever requiring hand manipulation, and'as stated, the mode of-operation of the convenience opening is essentially automatic. The opening is formed through a single layer of the multidirection stretch material from which the entire garment is constructed. The entire garment including the crotch portion is highly flexible and conforms snugly to the body and even the margins of the crotch opening and leg openings possess no bulky or thick edge formations such as hems.

The invention is applicable to a variety of womens garments including one-piece body suits, panty hose, body stockings, panty girdles, panties including Bikini panties. The invention is also highly useful in childrens apparel of the types mentioned above for the obvious reason that children have the greatest difficulty with the opening and closing of fasteners and flaps and therefore the automatic action of the invention is of the greatest assistance to them.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a body garment embodying an expansible crotch opening in accordance with the invention and showing the same in the relatively closed configuration.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the garment when the wearer is seated and the crotch opening is fully expanded to a wide open position.

FIG. 3 is a further perspective view of the garment and opening when the wearer is seated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, the numeral 20 designates a body garment or suit preferably formed' entirely of multidirection lightweight stretch fabric which is highly flexible and possesses great elasticity. Such fabrics are very well known in the art and are commonly employed to make panty hose, body stockings and the like.

The garment 20 covers the hip region of the wearer and has leg openings 21 on opposite sides of a crotch section, as shown. The crotch section of the garment, like the remainder of the structure, is stretchable in all directions and is provided with a front-to-back elongated centrally disposed opening or slit 22 whose marginal edges are capable of stretching readily with the surrounding fabric. The opening 22 does not possess any mechanical fasteners such as snaps or buttons and is entirely free of flaps, flanges or overlapping parts which require manipulation by the fingers to open and close.

The stretch opening 22 is entirely automatic in operation in the following manner. Assuming the garment of a proper size to be snugly positioned on the wearer and assuming the wearer to be in a generally standing position as in FIG. 1, the opening 22 will be contracted and substantially closed so that the garment will substantially cover the crotch portion of the body.

When the wearer of the garment assumes a seated position, FIGS. 2 and 3, the crotch portion of the garment will be subjected to rather heavy tension forces,

\ as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2, and the opening 22 will automatically expand longitudinally in the front-to-back directions and also laterally and will assume the relatively wide open position shown in both of FIGS. 2 and 3. It will be understood that the fingers of the wearer need not touch the garment during the automatic opening and closing operation of the opening 22 and such operation is caused solely by the wearer of the stretch garment moving from a standing to a sitting position, and vice-versa.

The garment structure is extremely simplified and requires fabric in a single thin layer only without any heavy edge bindings, seams or hems to impede stretching which is the essence of the operation, stretching in response to changes in body position to produce automatic opening and closing of the opening 22 in a convenience garment for women and children.

The invention and its automatic operating mode abovedescribed takes advantage of certain inherent factors present in multidirectional stretch fabric. If a slit is formed in such fabric and if the fabric is relaxed or tensioned longitudinally of the slit, the slit will close and will be scarcely visible in the fabric. If the fabric is tensioned across or at right angles to the slit, the latter will be widened and will be foreshortened longitudinally and the slit will become a substantial opening width-wise. In the present garment, when the'wearer assumes a sitting position, the slit or opening 22 will be tensioned both longitudinally and laterally, in contrast to a standing position where the material will have its maximum tension lengthwise of the slit, causing the slit to close. In the sitting position, where the forces exerted by the body stretch the slit 22 both lengthwise and laterally, it will form a large opening in the entire crotch region of the garment, as depicted.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A convenience garment comprising a garment body portion adapted to cover at least the hip region of a wearerand formed of multidirection stretch material which is flexible, said body portion having leg openings and an intervening crotch portion, said crotch portion having a front-to-back centrally located elongated opening which is expansible to a wide open configuration both laterally and longitudinally by stretching automatically when the wearer of the garment assumes a sitting position, said opening contracting automatically to a substantially closed condition when the wearer is standing.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the garment body portion is formed from a single layer of thin stretch fabric and said crotch opening is substantially a front-to-back elongated slit in the crotch portion of the garment whose edges are adapted to stretch freely with the material of the body portion.

3. The structure of claim 2, and said garment body portion consisting of a body suit. 

1. A convenience garment comprising a garment body portion adapted to cover at least the hip region of a wearer and formed of multidirection stretch material which is flexible, said body portion having leg openings and an intervening crotch portion, said crotch portion having a front-to-back centrally located elongated opening which is expansible to a wide open configuration both laterally and longitudinally by stretching automatically when the wearer of the garment assumes a sitting position, said opening contracting automatically to a substantially closed condition when the wearer is standing.
 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein the garment body portion is formed from a single layer of thin stretch fabric and said crotch opening is substantially a front-to-back elongated slit in the crotch portion of the garment whose edges are adapted to stretch freely with the material of the body portion.
 3. The structure of claim 2, and said garment body portion consisting of a body suit. 